A Day Long Remembered

Look at this picture above. This will go down as an historic photograph in the continuing history that is the Star Wars saga.

It's funny, we've practically known for 15 months that the original cast was returning for Episode VII, but there is something absolutely electrifying about seeing Harrison, Carrie, and Mark (along with Peter Mayhew of course!) in this photo. Episode VII is happening folks! It is really happening!

I'll write more about the casting later. Right now I just want to soak this all in....

Lucasfilm Finally Deals With The EU

The first book published as
new offical cannon

Huge news coming out of Lucasfilm today. They have finally come out and said that the EU is not canon. They will use it as possible source material to inspire future storytelling, but it is not part of the official continuity. This is similar to how the EU material was treated by the Clone Wars, which is now definitive canon by the way - if there was any doubt.

With that I breathe a big sigh of relief. While certain stories of the EU are great, such as the Thrawn Trilogy, there is a greater proportion of mediocre or just plain bad content out there. The thought of having the 300+ novels be all part of the canon is prohibitive for both new and old school fans to get into. Fanboy wars arguing over subtle points in obscure novels is not what Star Wars is all about. The old novels are not going away. They will continue to be published, but under the moniker of Star Wars Legends. So the authors will still get residuals. That is a nice way to classify this older non-canonical works going forward. 

Now I just hope Del Rey and Marvel publishing arms will show a little restraint and not hit us with too much new content each year. The stakes are higher now because all future publishing *will* be canonical. This will become essential reading for all passionate Star Wars fans. 

In fact, this begs the question of will this backfire for fandom? For those who have held to a G-level canon, it has been pretty easy. Just know the six films and you are done. Now it is not so clear. You have the films, the 121 Clone Wars episodes, and every new Star Wars publication across the spectrum - from adult novels to comic books to young adult fiction. Plus the new trilogy and spin-off films. It will be a lot of content to keep track of. I can already hear the obnoxious fanboys' dismissive attitude toward anyone who has not consumed evey part of this content.

Del Rey has already announced four books in the adult novel line. I think 4 books over a 12 month period is plenty. I hope they keep it this way. 

• The first book, Star Wars:A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, will be a Star Wars Rebels lead in book out this September. 
• Then there is Star Wars:Tarkin by James Luceno featuring that baddie from Death Star I out November. 
• In January next year, we will get Kevin Hearne's Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi, which is a first person Luke story taking place between Episodes IV and V. We may get some tantalizing little character tidbits that might show up in Episode VII. 
• Then in March 2015 we will have Star Wars: Lords of the Sith by Paul Kemp, featuring the Emperor and Darth Vader teaming up. It is a buddy story the likes of which have never been seen before! Maybe?

Oh and do you think they will eventuall drop the "Star Wars:" from future book titles? It will get pretty annoying.

All this is interesting but also safe. Everything is kept within the confines of the OT. I'm wiling to bet these books were in development long before the rethinking of the EU. Perhaps there was a few tweaks of story lines but I don't think there will be much here that impacts future canon. 

We shall see!

Edge of the Empire RPG

In celebration of the second annual International Tabletop Game Day, here are my thoughts on the Star Wars role playing game, Edge of the Empire. If you are looking for tips in preparing for the day, take a look at this post on Geek Dad.

I have not played a lot of role playing games, but I used to pour over the Advanced Dungeon & Dragon rulebooks as a kid. I studied the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide so much I could probably tell you what is on every page. I spent more time creating characters than actually playing the thing.

I never went further than that when it came to this kind of tabletop gaming. I've flirted with the idea of getting back into tabletop RPG (or rather actually playing the thing). However, I would quickly get overwhealmed by the complicated dice and table look-ups and the sheer enormity of the various worlds.

That being said, I am very pleasantly surprised to have discovered one of the latest RPG releases from Fantasy Flight Games - Edge of the Empire. It is a simple system that emphasizes storytelling over elaborate calculations and look-up tables. The key is a collection of specialized dice that have various symbols on them. To make a skill check you get to add good dice (the number and type depends on your character's proficiency & situation) as well as bad dice (depending on your opponent's skills & situation). You roll the pool of dice and see if you end up with more good rolls than bad rolls. It really is that easy!

I won't go into a full review because (1) I still haven't played the game yet and, (2) there are plenty of more reputable sources you find on the web that do a much better job than I ever could! However, here is a summary of what is currently available for this game:

INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS

Beginner Box - This is like the old D & D red box where you get a much reduced rulebook, pre-made characters, dice, and a streamlined adventure, called Escape from Mos Shuuta. It is the try before you buy sampler, which I think is a fantastic idea. I bought the newly revised D&D red box and, though I haven't played it, I feel like I have a good idea what it is like. I am not a big fan of the maps and miniatures that seem to be common among RPG systems these days. I guess I am too old school for that. I am glad that it seems the Edge of Empire RPG does not rely so much on miniatures. This is a perfect place to start with this RPG (released Dec 14, 2012)

The Long Arm of the Hutts - This is a free downloadable adventure from Fantasy Flight Games that continues the story, Escape from Mos Shuuta, started in the Beginner's Game. It also includes two more pre-generated character folios. (released Dec 14, 2012)

CORE MATERIALS

Core Rulebook - Unlike D&D, there is just one rulebook for both player and game-master to use. I like that approach. While it possibly makes it more expensive, it is just more convenient and compact. Apparently the adventure that begins with the Beginner Box continues with the sample adventure, Trouble Brewing, included here. (released Jul 5, 2013)

Game Master's Kit - This kit includes a screen to hide the the actions of the GM, as needed. It also has the adventure, Debts to Pay, included. (released Jul 5, 2013).

ADVENTURES

Under a Black Sun - This adventure was made available during the 2013 Free RPG day. (released Jun 15, 2013)

Beyond the Rim - This is the first full length adventure set in the Edge of the Empire RPG. It is a 3-act adventure. (released Sep 6, 2013)

The Jewel of Yavin - This is the second full length adventure set in the Edge of the Empire RPG. (To be release Q1 2014)

SUPPLEMENTS

Enter the Unknown - This is the first rule supplement that expands the Explorer career (released Dec 6, 2013)

Suns of Fortune - This is a sourcebook supplement for the Corellian system. There are new weapons, ships, and races included here (released Jan 24, 2014).

Dangerous Covenants - This is the second rule supplement that expands the Hired Gun career (released Feb 28, 2014)

Specialization Decks - There are several specialization deck cards available for the each of the paths within each career.

This series is just one of three cross-compatible series planned by Fantasy Flight Games. The other two, Age of the Rebellion and Force & Destiny are due out in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The beta test version of Rebellion was released in September 2013.

If you want to see the downloadable content from Fantasy Flights Games, follow this link.